Group wants to stop practice of confiscating driver's licenses

March 07, 2008|By FROM NEWS SERVICES

As if the $125 ticket wasn't bad enough, Lauren Kamm's illegal left turn onto Ashland Avenue earned her an extra surprise: Her driver's license was confiscated.

Kamm, of Wicker Park, was told it would only be returned after her case was completed, a process potentially lasting weeks. The 23-year-old public relations consultant woke early the next morning last fall and drove to a suburban DMV to get a state ID.

Illinois is one of the few states where officers can -- and often do -- take a driver's license during routine traffic stops. But a group of state officials is trying to change that. In an era where a government-issued photo ID is often needed to board an airplane or make a credit card purchase, the practice is antiquated, they say.

"Your driver's license is probably your only government-issued form of ID," said DuPage County Clerk of Court Chris Kachiroubas. "To lose it for a bad left turn, I've always thought that was a bad idea."

Kachiroubas' office is among those most aggressively pursuing the end of taking licenses and could be the closest to eliminating the process. Now, state law requires that drivers ticketed for a moving violation post bond. They do that by paying $75 at the police station, surrendering a bond card (usually available from insurance companies) or giving up their driver's license. Police officers also can just ask for a signature, but such leniency is rare.

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Experts say

Because few people have bond cards or the time to travel to a police station, they usually give up their licenses. In some cases, drivers are not given a choice. Kamm was not, she said. Her license was returned a month later in the mail after she paid her fine.